Wednesday July 29th, 2009 @ 4:24 PM

Hey I was wondering how i would put a surface bar into my nape piercing that I got 3 weeks ago. The piercer put a straight bar.. and it is healing fine but i really want a surface bar because it will be better in the long run. I purchased a 1 1/8th ” surface bar online (which is the length of the piercing) but cant figure out how to put it in with the sides coming up at a 90 degree angle… can anyone help?!?!

Surface bars are intended to be placed in initial piercings that were pierced for a specifically sized bar. Trying to change a straight bar into a surface bar would most likely be counter productive. You could try replacing the straight bar with a flexible bar such as PTFE or tygon. That would give you a far better chance of healing than a straight bar, but nowhere near as good as removing the piercing and having it pierced with a surface bar.

Wednesday July 29th, 2009 @ 4:17 PM

I want to sacrifice one of my toe it could be either the fourth or 5th toe from the 1st joint… which one is better option and as I don’t want to go to a surgeon for the same how can I perform the procedure myself at home. Also how can I preserve the amputated toe.

While I cannot fully endorse a DIY toe amputation, I would recommend going for the 4th toe as opposed to the 5th because theoretically it would have less affect on your balance. As for preserving it, a little birdie told me you can order formalin (which is a saturated solution of formaldehyde) on ebay.

Wednesday July 29th, 2009 @ 4:11 PM

In regard to sternum/cleavage piercing, is it better to get microdermals or a surface bar?

Does it make a difference depending on body type? (if so, i’m small chested and a little on the thin side. any advice?)

Thanks again,

psychophoria

In this particular area, 9 times out of 10, I find that microdermals will work better. Using the old “2 dots test” which is where you place 2 dots where a surface piercing would go, and then move your body and see if the 2 dots move at all. If they do, then that placement would not work very well with a surface bar because the bar doesn’t move. You will also find that the2 dots move position as you wear different bras. Therefore the single point microdermals would be preferable.

Sunday July 12th, 2009 @ 2:18 AM

I’m already rather modded from my chest down. I see all these photos of guys who’ve had their penis bisected, and I decided I want that! I want to bisect my clitoris (not my hood), it certainly has adequate size. However, upon trying to research bisection of the clitoris, all I can find is stuff about hood splitting, and african FGM. I guess it would be more like a meatotomy.

Has female clitoris splitting happened, or would it be unprecidented? I’m assuming its possible due to the great similarities between the clitoris and the penis. Is there any reason it isn’t possible? If not, is there anywhere I can read about it, or contact any body mod professionals who would be willing to perform th procedure?

Thanks

As much as I’m a true believer in the adage “there’s nothing new under the sun”… I’ve never seen a bisected clitoris nor have I heard of a bisection being performed.

There is no reason it’s not possible anatomy depending.

As to the who… Contact me privately via [email protected] Some things don’t need to be posted all over the internet.

Saturday July 11th, 2009 @ 10:01 AM

I am going to get my sternum surface piercing done within this and next month. But the thing is I am also taking breast enhancement pills. I am not sure if this will interfere with the piercing or not, Any advice?

*seriously, Google it. At BEST, they might contain some herbs with estrogen-like effects on the body, which could result in SLIGHT, temporary, enlargement. Of course, the health risks of randomly taking unknown quantities of herbs with pharmaceutical hormone-stimulant properties are widely considered to be bad. But hey, it’s your life and your money. I reckon if stuff like that worked, people wouldn’t fly to Thailand to get dodgy boob jobs, y’know?

Friday July 10th, 2009 @ 11:16 PM

I have recently had a stroke and I am now on blood thinner medication (Coumadin/Warfaran). I’d like to get another piercing (ear?) and I would like to know what is the proper protocol for letting my piercer know that I will bleed more due to this new medication when getting pierced and what precautions I need to take extra for aftercare.

Also, is there anything I need to let my doctor know other than I intend to get pierced by a professional piercer?

I saw that you sent this question in twice, slightly rephrased to address the concerns of getting tattooed on Warfarin, so I’ll respond to both aspects. Regarding tattooing, I’ve found mixed information on the subject, but the manufacturers of Warfarin don’t seem strongly opposed to it from a health standpoint. That being said, excessive bleeding will certainly affect the healed appearance of your tattoo, and you will almost certainly lose a substantial amount of ink and end up with a patchy, uneven tattoo. Personally? I wouldn’t risk it.

From the piercer’s perspective, I, personally, wouldn’t want to pierce someone on Warfarin, and the manufacturers are strongly against patients on Warfarin getting piercings (even of the earlobe) due to the risk of excessive bleeding. And most cartilage piercings are decent bleeders anyway, so that’s not a great idea. Depending on your PT/INR results, you may get your dosage reduced or be off it entirely at some point in the future as your health improves, so in your case, I’d advise holding off for the near future - it’s not worth risking your overall health for a piercing.

And of course, since you’re one of our locals, feel free to call me to discuss more in detail!

Friday July 10th, 2009 @ 11:06 PM

The piercer gave me a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide, and told me use it twice a day - without even diluting it! He told me when your skin goes white it means its healing - when the bottle says ‘Strong solutions of Hydrogen Peroxide may cause irritating burns on the skin, and could produce a white patch of dead tissue.’ Dead tissue near a fresh piercing doesn’t sound good to me. Also, he claims that sea salt soaks will dry out the piercing and will cause it not to heal..

So my question is, will LITHA really work for my tragus piercing? And how much of a risk of complications, eg. infection or hypertrophic scarring. I have healthy, slowly stretched 14mm lobes and during the whole stretching process have never cleaned them, not even with sea salt soaks - I am just lucky? Is it worth risking my tragus piercing?

I’m a big fan of a “less is more” approach when it comes to piercing aftercare, and use it myself to heal all of my own piercings. I wouldn’t say that I NEVER clean them, but I really only clean them when they need it, and I use mild saltwater solutions or soaks to clean my piercings. I DEFINITELY wouldn’t advocate the use of hydrogen peroxide to clean piercings, it’s incredibly irritating and harsh (although I certainly use my share of peroxide products to bleach my hair, and used hydrogen peroxide as an irritant to increase the scarring on my branding), and I think you’re quite correct to ignore your piercer’s aftercare advice in this instance! Bear in mind, saline wound washes are used in surgical/medical settings every day to clean wounds, and hydrogen peroxide is NEVER used. Common sense, y’know?

Infection is caused by exposure to pathogens, and prevention is the best way to avoid infections. If you’ve been swimming or had a bit of a dirty day working in the yard, a wash with mild soap in the shower, a thorough rinse, and possibly a bit of a clean with saline does wonders to prevent infections. Hypertrophic scarring is generally a response to irritation, and again, prevention goes a long way toward reducing the odds of that, too - appropriate jewellery size/materials/styles, minimising/eliminating exposure to irritants (chemical, physical, environmental, etc). In short, I think you’re on the right track, and with a bit of time and patience, I’m sure your piercing will heal up beautifully.

Wednesday July 8th, 2009 @ 11:51 AM

I was wondering if someone could help give me an idea of the chances that I would be eligible to get a tongue ring. I live in Edmonton, AB Canada and I went to a local tattoo shop at the mall. They said they couldn’t do it because I have too many veins in my tongue. I went home and checked my tongue to see how it looked, and it appears I have a vein on the left side, the right side and one in the center. With about 1″ space on either side of the center. I don’t know if this happened because I live in a more rural area, the people at the studio all looked rather young (and I’ve nothing against young people, Just when most of the people there look about 20 or younger, I wonder a bit, if a more experienced piercing artist may be more viable). I really would like to get a tongue piercing or two. I imagine the vein in the center of my tongue eliminates the option of a center-set tongue piercing? What about the chances of an off-center piercing on either side? Might there be a better chance of finding a more skilled/able piercer in Toronto, ON perhaps?

You’re in Edmonton? Well, my advice is to pop on down to the fine folks at Shambhala Tattoos and give my homegirl Lexci a chance to have a look - she’ll tell you straight up if it’s do-able or not, and if it is do-able, they stock nothing but the best body jewellery and aftercare products, so you’re in good hands.

Thursday July 2nd, 2009 @ 7:58 PM

I’m getting a tree cut on my right above my hip. I am thinking of doing an ink rubbing with UV ink. How well would this work?

UV Pigment is notoriously difficult to get in solidly as far as tattooing is concerned; so with an ink rubbing I’d expect that it wouldn’t look spectacular. Also, keep in mind that despite the promises made by people trying to sell UV pigment, there is no conclusive proof that it’s safe for human use, so please be careful. Potential health side effects vs. a gimmick modification. Think about it.